Jagdalpur/Raipur: Armed naxalites on Tuesday besieged Usur village in Dantewada district of the tribal Bastar region posing a big challenge to former Director General of Punjab Police K.P.S. Gill, who took over as the security adviser to the Chhattisgarh Government early in the day.

More than 2500 armed rebels besieged the village, having a population of about 3000, since morning in retaliation for the tribals' support to the ongoing anti-naxalite campaign `Salwa Judum'. The Maoists, who had given a call for bandh, also beat up a few `Salwa Judum' supporters in the region.

The naxalites had also called a Chhattisgarh bandh for today which evoked a partial response in South Bastar area, police said.

CPI (Maoist) gave a bandh call to protest the government's alleged failure to solve people's problems and `fake encounter killings' of naxalite zonal commander Sagar alias Gupa Korwas and his wife Kiran in Sarguja district. Few shops in Bijapur were closed in response to the bandh call, police said.

Mr Gill, who arrived here this morning to take up the new assignment as security adviser, went into an emergency meeting with State Chief Minister Raman Singh and senior officials in the light of the Maoist action in Usur village, located close to the Andhra Pradesh border.

As the naxalites outnumbered security forces in the region, a spokesman of the state police headquarters said the Central Reserve Police Force and Chhattisgarh Special Armed Force (CGSAF) were being sent to the village from Amapalli area.

However, security personnel have been asked to avoid travelling by road and cover the area on foot as it is feared the extremists may have planted landmines on the approach road.

The spokesman said the high level meeting was also considering to press helicopters into service to airlift security personnel to Usur village to rescue the beleaguered villagers.

Meanwhile, stepping up its anti-naxalite drive, Jharkhand government has brought 25,000 police personnel operating in naxal areas under insurance cover and purchased a new fleet of anti-mine vehicles.

The new policy, formally announced on Tuesday, will cover State police personnel, central para military forces and Army personnel engaged in anti-naxal operations.

The joint agreement was signed between the police department and the United India Insurance Company, the Oriental Insurance Company and the New India Assurance Company.

As per the agreement, the State Home minister Sudesh Mahto gave a cheque for Rs 2.47 crores to Rakesh Kumar, the chief regional manager of the Oriental Insurance Company, as premium for 2006-07. Kumar took the cheque on behalf of the three insurance companies.

"If any of the 25,000 personnel engaged in anti-naxal drive in the state suffers fatal wounds or permanent total disability or loses two limbs or sight, his or her family will be entitled to a maximum benefit of Rs 11.5 lakhs," he said.

The insurance benefits would be the same for everybody, irrespective of rank, he said. -- UNI & PTI

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